MicroMyco is an urban mushroom farm with a focus on sustainability. I incorporate all sorts of local "waste" intro my production model, specifically trying to keep a small radius of under 10 miles in all my sourcing. The result is a "hyperlocal" product, where the materials. labor and facility are all located extremely close to where the product is going to end up. Any materials that do not satisfy the "hyperlocal" model of no further than 10 miles away are also vetted by me to make sure that each step in my process eliminates waste at some point.
My shop is located in Madison, on the Isthmus, ensuring that I never have to go too far to sell my mushrooms, or even to find new sources of waste!
Mushrooms are an excellent protein alternative to meat, their culinary value is still being explored today, especially in western countries. By operating a mushroom farm, I can both recycle traditional waste materials, replace traditional protein sources, and create a delicious product.
My primary crop right now is the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus. A wily and robust mushroom, it can grow on many different materials. My "recipe" includes coffee grounds from half a dozen coffee shops near my operation, sawdust reclaimed from a hardwood sawmill, soybean hulls from local soybean farms and straw from local farms. In nature, this mushroom grows in Wisconsin on dead trees as a primary decomposer. It is a slightly delicate mushroom with a good flavor which some people describe as "seafoody, with hints of anise". You can use oyster mushrooms as a substitute for any recipe that calls for mushrooms. Expect much better texture and taste than a traditional white button mushroom!
